Alexis, 10:40 AM

Okay, enough putting this off. Damn it, Alex, she's just your sister! You can do this; stop being such a little girl about everything!

You try to psych yourself up, but nerves continue to get the better of you. You play scenario after scenario in your head, exhausting any situation you can think up. Finally, you realize that all you're really doing is delaying the inevitable.

You take a deep breath and start typing out the text, knowing your sister isn't one to answer calls. Any attempt to reach her would go straight to voicemail anyhow. It's easier this way. Plus, as long as you’ve known her, she's been glued to her phone, frequenting whatever weirdo sites she likes to visit. There isn’t a doubt in your mind Celia will see it.

Being the oldest of your siblings, Celia always looked down on you somewhat. It's been a frustrating relationship, especially in recent years. If at all possible, you’d like to avoid her entirely. However, Mom isn't an option. Hell, if she found out you'd let two outsiders know family secrets, she might just stomp them flat. The mental image of those green flip-flops she always wears coming down on Chris makes you shiver and puts a sickening feeling in the deepest part of your gut. Celia, on the other hand, is another story. She'll probably make fun of the both of you, but hopefully, she'd help. You can't picture her giving a reaction similar to Mom. Guarding the family secrets has never been her number one priority.

You set the phone down, quickly rubbing your hands against your temples. What a headache this has all turned into. Heather sits off to the side, dejected. She's still refusing all attempts at reconciliation, and part of you doesn't really blame her. You feel guilty over the extreme you'd taken, but another part of you is filled with venom. Fuck her and her prissy attitude. Maybe you'd gotten a teensy bit carried away, but whatever. Payback for a few months dealing with her stuck-up attitude.

Chris, on the other hand, looks relatively unmoved. He seems more bored than anything as he idly twiddles his thumbs. Still naked, of course. Yeah, he probably wasn't getting those clothes back anytime soon. Who the hell knows where those things went. However, you can't help but trace him carefully while you wait, your eyes rolling across his bare body and idly musing over his looks. He really isn't all that bad-looking. You note that his overall body shape is decent, having admittedly not bothered giving him a fair shake in the past. He’s not chiseled by any means, but he definitely scraped into the handsome category. And lack of muscle was fine too. You'd always sort of dug the nerdier look. Muscle men have always been overrated.

Vrrrrr-Vrrrrr

The phone vibrates after only a few moments, proving your previous assumption correct. It has to be Celia. Unfortunately, neither of your diminished buddies are ready for the quaking of the ground it produces. Your friend jumps while your roomie shrieks from the sudden interruption into her brooding. 

"Sorry!" You hastily reply, grabbing the pink rectangle from off the desk. You ignore her angry squeaking, scrambling to see your sister's reply. With a few presses, you’re back looking at recent messages.

'Gimme 5'

You're relieved. Knowing Celia, it wouldn't have been unlike her to have made you wait around all day. Despite living so close, you actually hadn't seen her for some time. Summer break is the last time you even got a text from her. You'd slowly fallen out of contact as corroding relationships tend to go. The two of you had grown more distant as time went on, and truthfully, you can't help but blame your sister for that one. Communication goes both ways, after all. Although the two of you were only three years apart, she'd become callous and downright cynical in those years she held above you. Now that you think about it, she’s becoming a stereotype, more so as days go by. Celia is living up to a fairytale's drab take on a witch.

You're nervous, unable to stop yourself from pacing back and forth across the desk's smooth surface. You'll be meeting Celia for the first time in just moments! Assuming she hadn't already forgotten, which is starting to seem like a genuine possibility. You don't have any way to keep track of time in this state, but it had undoubtedly been longer than the five minutes Alexis' sister promised.

Even your friend is tired of waiting, her head buried into the crook of her arm as she sits face down at her desk, massive arms strewn across it, motionless but close by.

You've heard so much about Celia from osmosis alone. Picking up little tidbits of her life and demeanor from conversations with Alexis. Truthfully, the extra info is exactly what's putting you so on edge. At twenty-six years old, she should be a social butterfly, going to bars and meeting new people. Maybe even dating, if that was her vibe. But if your friend is to be believed, the burgeoning witch instead chose to withdraw from the social responsibilities she once had. Last year she'd further cemented her lifestyle as a hermit when she moved into a studio on the very edge of the town. It speaks volumes in your eyes. No rational twenty-year-old would move away from the hotspots. No. Unquestionably, something is off about her.

It’s frightening to think this potentially unhinged witch would have full access to you. Alexis would never let anything happen to you on her watch, but does it really matter? At this size, what's to stop her from blowing you off the table for a cheap laugh? You think back to the other day in the back of your friend's pants. It seems like a lifetime ago; so much has happened between then and now. But a single gust from her backside had nearly left you concussed, so what's to stop this girl from really having her way with you?

The answer, of course, is terrifying: nothing.

As you finish your latest bout of worrying, there's a knock at the door. Alexis raises her head, eyes lighting up with cautious optimism that you don’t find yourself sharing. "Coming!" She shouts in the other direction, the momentary distraction making her forget entirely about volume control. She rises to her feet and breaths in, shaking off the nerves as she prepares to greet her sister for the first time in a few months.

"I'll be right back. Sit tight, you two." In a flash, she disappears beyond the door frame, leaving both you and Heather to glance wearily at one another.

"Whose that?" Heather asks curtly, her voice shaky. The girl’s been through a lot, clearly rattled from the last few hours. You notice her makeup running, having never adequately washed off last night. You don’t have the same cocky attitude you’d given her only about an hour prior. You have a pretty good idea of what she’s going through.

"Celia. One of her sisters." You say matter of factly, trying to be helpful. But your kindness isn’t returned. Heather turns back around, hiding her face from view once again. The two of you sit wordlessly, waiting.

You walk through the door, tarnished boots you'd repurchased a few years back likely dirtying the posh white carpet with years of grime. You look around, ignoring Alexis entirely at first. Did she say something? Probably being sappy and sentimental like usual, which isn't worth acknowledging. Moving further in, the place is pretty nice, and without bothering to ask, you estimate her student loans are rather exorbitant. Stupid, school is for suckers. Although it makes you wonder, is Mom footing the bill for this place?

Adjusting the leather jacket around your shoulders, you turn to Alexis, who's deep in the process of giving some spiel or whatever. "Can I smoke in here?" You ask, interrupting as you reach for the box of cigs in your coat's inner pocket, hoping for a yes, or even a maybe. Which everyone knows is simply the yes of cowards. You hadn't heard a word of what she’s been blathering about anyway, too wrapped up in taking in the sights of this alien world you'd stumbled into at your sister's request.

"Oh, um, no. I don't think we'd get our deposit back." Your bluntness sets some people off, but you'd always appreciate that your sisters never bugged you about it. Even if she is disgustingly preppy, you loved her deep down in a pretty challenging way to show. You'll forever struggle with this touchy-feely trash.

"Well, shit. Fair enough though, I guess." You concede, slipping the pack back into your coat before turning toward your sister. "So, where are they?"

She doesn't waste time, promptly leading you a short walk down the hall and into an offensively pink room. Yup, this is definitely your sister. You want to gag but refrain for her sake. Instead, your eyes focus on two specks huddled nearby on her desk. "Holy shit." You exclaim with an ounce of disbelief snaking into your voice's tone. 

The girl’s absolutely teeny, but the other is a fucking speck! Admittedly, it's kind of impressive. The amount of magic to pull off shrinking a human body not once but twice with only a day or so in between is astounding. No wonder the spell backfired. Alexis is likely sapped at the moment. "Damn, sis," You say, leaning down towards the smaller one. "What did this one do to piss you off?"

Your comment makes her visibly flustered, "It's not like that at all! Him being so small was the backfire. I was trying to negate the effects." She says timidly. It all makes sense now. Clearly, in trying to cancel the effect, it had doubled back. Effectively casting itself again. Well fuck, now you almost feel bad for the mite.

            You recoil as Celia disregards your ears, either not consciously thinking about the impact or not caring. When she walks in, the first thing you notice is how pretty she is, making your heart skip. She's a stunning image of Alexis, except her style is all wrong. Not to mention the age gap. Her look can best be described as distinctly grungy, and the odor wafting from her mouth as she spoke confirms as much. It's not so much a lack of hygiene that's noticeable, but the intense aroma of stale cigarettes and weed bombarding you like a thick fog, making you choke. If it hadn't just happened, you'd never be able to imagine such a beautiful girl could produce such a toxic cloud, even with her vaguely punk-like appearance.

You recoil as Celia disregards your ears, either not consciously thinking about the impact, or not caring. Luckily, she pulls away, her sterling silver nose ring wobbling slightly as she stands back up to her full height, eyeing not only you but also Heather. "Fucking hell, Lex. I can practically smell the Other Side on this one. What the fuck did you do?" The disheveled black-haired girl says more with disbelief than anything else. "I didn't think you had the guts." She smirks, a sense of twisted pride seeming to ooze out of her expression. Your friend remains silent for her part, glancing down at the floor in quiet shame. You don't entirely understand it, but whatever she'd done to get you back had been a very obvious no-no.

"I can help you out, but I need to do more research into this first." Alexis lights up immediately, almost looking as if she's about to go in for a hug before her sister puts up a hand, stopping her dead. Confusion builds across her brow as Celia moves to explain, "I need some company, though. I'll take them both and bring them back when I'm done."

"You want…." She trails off, gears in her head trying to answer the unspoken question. Alexis is visibly taken aback, stumbling mentally as she tries to process the situation.

"Yeah. Both of them. She says shortly, mild aggravation prevalent in her words. “Or I could just go back to what I was researching before and forget this little problem ever happened."

The scariest part for you is the lip bite Lexy gives in response, telling you visually that she's giving it some real contemplation. It's a bad idea, one you want nothing to do with. Who knows what this crazy bitch is capable of. Did your friend even know?

"Fine. Just be careful with them, okay?" She says with defeat, making your eyes practically budge out of their sockets. She wouldn't do this; she couldn't! This has to be some sick joke you aren't in on.

"Lexy, no fucking way! You can't leave me with this unhinged NEET!" You shout, tele-link still in effect for the time being, its limited range not yet surpassed. Fortunately, the others aren't linked up, allowing for private asides. She looks down at you worryingly, putting on a quickly failing smile.

"Don't worry, Celia will figure this out. I'm so sorry, Chris. This has just been mistake after mistake." This is bad, so very bad. She dodges the apparent elephant in the room entirely, which is, of course, that her sister probably couldn't be trusted.

"God, this'll be fun. Do you know how long it's been since I had a boy come over? Though, he’s more of a gnat in his current state. Can’t give any good dick in that state." Celia chuckles as Alexis gives her a sharp glare. "Oh, lighten up. I'm just joking around. Mostly." She whispers the last word under her breath, sending chills down your spine.

Not wanting to beat around the bush any further, you and Heather are snatched up by Celia, and you briefly get a glimpse at several rings she's wearing while she roughly handles you. You wonder about their purpose. Decoration? Or did they mean something more? Nevertheless, you’re placed promptly in a ziplock as your friend looks on with a pained, helpless expression. They say their final goodbyes to one another, getting held up about a particular family issue you can't muster the mental fortitude to care about. Though, it does give you and Heather some time alone together. She's still far larger than you, probably a little over half your size if you had to estimate.

"Hey, Heather…" You take a moment to think, finding the right words to express your feelings. "I wanted to apologize for what Alexis did to you. What you did really sucks, but what she did was just as bad." You speak your mind, choosing your words carefully.

She’s silent for a few seconds, staring off into the distance beyond the blurry and distorted confines of the small plastic baggie. "...I don't even like girls." is all she muster, the droning of sisters still omnipresent behind this bite-sized conversation. You can hear her voice shake, not to mention smell the womanly scent coming off her. She'd been through hell.

Reaching for anything possible right now, you throw out the only affirmation that really makes sense at the moment. "I wouldn't do it again if you were rough with me like that, but I did actually sort of enjoy that whole thing we did."

"Me too." A small smile cracks Heather's lips just before you’re sent tumbling into each other, tucked away carelessly inside Celia's leather coat pocket.